Cars, cigarettes and dragons
by Unknown'Wanderer22
Summary: In an alternative Kuoh, controlled by gangs and organized crime, meet a new Issei ... Now more focused on getting money and having to live a much busier life ... reconciling the life of crime with the college. Trying to keep his sick mother in the hospital... (Badass Issei x Fem Vali)(merely illustrative cover does not reflect the story...)


The autumn rain ruthlessly punished the dark streets of the blocks farther from the city center, it was after 10 pm the flow of people was almost nil and the neighborhood exiled a cruel silence.

At the same time, one of the many alleys a young boy who did not appear to have over 16 years was panting, dressed in a black jeans that were torn at the knees and was soaked by rain, the red shirt had scratches and bruises throughout the front. As a few streaks of blood ran down the many scratches, over his shirt his black denim jacket seemed to add even more weight to his body.

From afar the figure of the brown-haired boy looked frightening, after all around him were several other fallen gang members, if at least fifteen were all disagreed or unable to move, around them various weapons, daggers, knives and bats.

Still trying to catch his breath, the boy seemed indifferent to his injuries, blood ran down the middle of his forehead and behind his head, there was a small dagger thrust into his belly and his legs trembled in the futile attempt to try to keep him standing.

"I already told you that I don't want to be part of any gang, I work alone ... warn that to your bosses ..." The boy said quietly leaning his back against the icy walls of the buildings surrounding that small alley and following toward the main street.

The rain didn't seem to sympathize with the young man's situation, only drastically increasing the intensity, the strong winds seemed to cut through the wounds already opened by the previous fight, acting as a pain amplifier.

After a few steps he surrenders to fatigue and decides to sit in the alley entrance, placing one hand under the dagger that was stuck in his chest, he strains to remove it, but the enormous pain makes him think twice.

He needed a cigarette, at least before he did that ... he eagerly searches his wallet and finally removes one of his main antidepressants and painkillers from the Malboro cigarette pack that was always with him.

Slowly placing the cigarette under his mouth he futilely tried to have enough strength to use his old lighter, after all his strength was almost running out, but eventually he finally managed to light the cigarette.

Taking a deep drag, the young man lets the smoke entering his lungs act as a strong anesthetic for what is to come and with both hands the boy removes the dagger at once.

The strong pain almost knocked him out, he bit the cigarette so hard in his mouth that he cut it with his teeth, the smoke that was trapped in his lungs took advantage of the loud scream that the boy let out and escaped.

The blood began to flow freely from his greatest wound, with his left hand he did his best to put pressure on the wound and again forcing himself to his feet, the man then moved on through the empty streets.

The feeling of loneliness began to fill him and his subconscious began to bombard him with questions.

Why was he there? Why should he suffer so much? What the hell was he doing with his life?

These were the moments Issei hated most in his life, the lonely walk and having to talk to himself, the young man considered himself a man without questions and with only one certainty.

He needed to move on, no answers and no questions, if he needed a reason that reason should be simple ... his answer was to survive.

A boy like him needed to get his own money and nothing better than the dark streets of Kuoh for that, here didn't ask too many questions, here no answers needed, here you just needed to be strong, make your own agenda by choosing your own risks.

He finally shifts his hands and puts pressure on the wound with his right hand, using his left hand to support himself, which made him realize the excessive amount of blood he was losing, which strangely made him smile while his hand it slid down the cold walls.

Maybe he could finally stop fighting? Had that been enough?

But ... His mother's smile made him want to move on ... She needed him ... so until he paid his debt to her, he needed to stay alive, his blood was also leaving a trail on the walls that was soon cleared by heavy rain.

At the end of his walk he came to a livelier part of the neighborhood, where the nightclubs, call girls, and drug dealers were, this was where the small town's nightlife took place, where family men and workers spent their money on frivolities, where they were robbed and tortured by gangs or had their cars stolen by handles like him.

Although today he couldn't do his job so well ... He just went to the back of the club and sat by the door without caring about the rats and the strong smell of alcohol that the outside of the establishment exuded, after all, he finally had a roof under his head, the water stopped bothering him leaving the job to the cold and the biting wind.

Taking out of his pocket the small smartphone he typed the simple message, 'I'm in the usual place, I'll be waiting for you' and put it back, he crossed his arms stretched his legs and was preparing to take a nap until...

Issei listens to the strange group approach him, between five to six men surrounded a girl, her long white hair caught his eye, she was dressed in a plain white shirt, over a black long sleeve jacket, wore a mini skirt black that exposed her legs and she was wearing long boots.

He had never seen that girl around here, in fact he had never seen this girl ... he would have known if he had ... She was very different from the conventional beauty of the city, anyone could see that it was a foreigner, her thighs thick and defined and slender curves denounced the preoccupation with her physical appearance.

Very different from Issei, whose body was full of scars and cuts, even though he was always fighting and running, the muscles of his body were not so prominent in clothing, after all were more compact and harder used to be incessant attacked.

A more defined body would hinder his speed, whose attribute was very important for his office, when looking at the back group he saw the red cross that stood out on the back of the jackets, it was one of many gangs that worked in that part of the city.

That would not end well, deep down he knew exactly what would happen if she kept following them, in that part of town if you get away from the light you're at the mercy of the gangs, but he wasn't a hero ... His body was destroyed and hurt every time he moved.

But ... the smile and the way she was taking it all made him want to get up, she had no idea what was about to happen and somehow it made him feel responsible, forcing himself to get up, reopening his wounds.

He felt his mind almost shut, he tightened his grip on the wound and the pain woke him up.

Even a car thief with no honor and no scruple still had ideals and goals, he needed to survive just a little while leading that life, he just needed to hold on a little longer.

Issei hated the thoughts and way of acting of a hero, for him every hero is in fact someone who seeks and wants to draw attention to himself, someone selfish and generally weak who endanger his life in an attempt to get the gratitude of the others.

So why was he trying so hard and risking his life for a girl he had never seen? Just as your subconscious asked, the answer came out as fast as the question had arisen.

'Because there is no one willing to do that ...'

Yes, that was his answer, if there was someone at that moment who could take his place, he would give it to him without thinking twice, without complaining and thanking him...

Issei knew himself very well, knew that he could not gain much time for the foreigner, that he would probably be knocked out in the first blow, he was well beyond his limits but still stood and grabbed the small bottle of painkillers, that would give an extra energy for about 20 to 30 minutes, one of the few medicines he consumed daily...

The young man completely destroyed the 3 capsules by chewing and swallowing them, put the medicine bottle back in his pocket and moved on towards the group, once again facing the heavy rain and the adverse environment.

With his hands in his pockets he began to slowly approach the group, the streets fading again, growing narrower and darker, the deadly silence of the delinquent's wet footsteps the only sound beyond the almost anesthetic noise of water droplets under the roofs and asphalt.

As he begins to hear other footsteps besides his, he pulls on his antidepressant once more, shyly pulling his lighter and raising his Malboro cigarette a second time in the day, what would his mom would say if she saw him now? A cigarette and medicine addict, a simple car thief who thinks he has the right to be a hero...

Well, when things started to get complicated in his mind he just emptied it, no need to think about the unimportant things, his mother had nothing to do with the current situation, after all it was his choices that brought him to that exact moment.

No one was to blame for his bad choices, including the one he was about to make.

The group finally reached the dead end of the alley, the five men surrounded the young woman who seemed strangely calm, she had asked for directions to Kuoh Academy, after all she was lousy with directions and those men seemed so determined to help her that she ended up following them.

But just like everyone else, these too were full of ulterior motives ... She could only imagine the number of casualties this group had ever done and think of the bad luck these men had.

After all in front of them was someone who could retaliate, someone who could effectively defend himself, that thought made her let out a cruel smile, which was interpreted by men as a green light for what they were about to do.

But when she would finally retaliate, everyone hears the fast approaching heavy footsteps, as she looked back the group was surprised by the incredible strength of the individual.

The hard punch hit the chin of the man who was in the middle of the group throwing him against the wall, without wasting time the man positioned himself in front of the girl, who amid the thunder and lightning could see the red dragon in the back of his jacket.

Pulling his jacket sleeves up, he was in the fighting stance once more, maybe this is the last time.

He positions both his arms in front of his face a characteristic boxing position.

"Damn… trying to play hero? Who the hell are you? "One of the group members shouted at the man who just remained silent, the boys simply pulling out their knives and baseball bats, they seemed to have gained confidence.

The man just glanced back briefly to see the gray-haired girl again, she almost lost herself in his piercing brown eyes, his face showed only indifference, had no dubious or hidden feeling, he did not come there to show himself or be a hero.

He was there because no one else would play that role, she was startled to realize how badly he was hurt, the blood running lightly down his chest and staining the floor, the sudden lightning was revealing his injuries to her and the remaining gangs, witch seeing this became more confident.

"Idiot… are you trying to play hero in this state? Today you die Whether it's the red dragon or not!" Shouted one of the men pointing the knife at him, who just smiled slightly and moved on.

Red Dragon ... Yes Albion had talked about this, about the rivalry between the two heavenly dragons ...

Two rivals who are predestined to fight for all eternity, but an ordinary human could not know the existence of these two dragons so the man in front of him could never be the true Sekiryuutei of that generation.

That's when she remembered the red dragon that was stamped on the back of his jacket, they were referring to it ... But her interest in him didn't end there, she would play the helpless victim for some time, she was interested in finding out the extent of the strength of the man before her.

The first of them came forward with the bat in hand, he struck a strong horizontal blow toward Issei's face that defended himself with his right forearm, which drew a grunt from him.

"Shit!" He cursed… that bone had surely broken, but taking advantage of the opportunity he hit back with a hard punch to the belly of his attacker who dropped the bat and fell completely throwing up his lunch.

This time the remaining three advanced together, once again Issei forced himself into the starting position, the first to reach him was the redhead, he was armed with a knife and attempted a lunge toward Issei's chest.

The boy no longer had the strength in his legs to deflect the blow so he went forward and hit his opponent's chin knocking him out, but with the knife thrust just below his chest.

Issei had a hard time breathing, probably the knife must have hit his lungs, again the blood began to run down his nose and mouth.

But not yet ... He still couldn't die there, not as long as he was at least sure that girl would be safe, after all he proposed to do, so he should at least fulfill his goal to the end.

Swallowing the blood that insisted on returning to his mouth, he braced himself again, but his vision was already blurred it was only when he felt the diagonal cut in the back that he managed to strike back and knock the other opponent with the strong elbow between the eyes.

Only one was missing ... This one was horrified by the sight, in that state the red dragon managed to defeat four of his friends, he was not the strongest, let alone the bravest among them and simply dropped his baseball bat and ran.

The sharp pain of the deep wounds made him slowly lose strength once again he was forced to lean against the walls, but this time he was sitting on the cold floor.

"Listen girl ... if you are running in the opposite direction you will arrive on the main street, when you get there, look for a woman named Aika, she works at the bar ... Ask her for help and you will be fine ..." He spoke quietly, his life force was already leaving his body and he was beginning to get drowsy, all he could see was the blood-wet asphalt in front of him.

Until he hear the familiar voice.

"Issei!" The surprise and volume of her voice awoke him momentarily, in front of him was Aika Kiryuu, dressed in her conventional uniform, the pink sunglasses, the white dress shirt covered by the black leather vest, the mini skirt black, the black stockings that covered her legs and up to her black shoes.

She had followed the trail of blood left by her friend without thinking twice, her clothes were already completely wet and her eyes began to tear, but she wasted no time.

Pulling him towards her, the girl put one of his arms around her neck and began to lift him up.

"Come on, Issei! If you pass out here, I won't be able to carry you alone… "The man struggled to stay awake, the excessive blood loss coupled with his recent physical activity was beginning to take its toll.

The gray was still struck by the strength that human possessed even though he was severely injured, but with Aika's arrival she finally woke up and approached the boy and supported his other arm and the two finally managed to lift him.

The pain he felt with every step he took was perceived by her with every low moan of anguish he just gave, overall he just bit his lips, he did it to keep himself awake.

When they finally arrived at the nightclub, Aika led them straight to the back where there was a table where the clean kitchen cups and plates were, she didn't care and simply wiped the table thoroughly regardless of the broken plates and glasses.

"Is it okay to break all these dishes?" He said quietly, almost voiceless, she just looked at him, smiled and said.

"Of course ... after all, you are going to pay for them!" She began tearing his clothes to visualize the extent of the injuries, with scissors she started to cut his jacket and shirt, the knife was still deep in his chest.

"Sorry ... but what's your name again?" The bespectacled girl finally turns to gray at the back of the room, who was sincerely impressed, after all no ordinary human survives such pain.

They walked almost a mile with him in that state, yet even against all logic that human was still alive.

"Vali ... My name is Vali!" She said finally.

"Great! Vali-chan is not it? Can you get me the bandages and sutures on that shelf? "In the meantime she would put a piece of cloth wrapped around Issei's mouth and prepare to remove the foreign object.

Vali handed over the bandages and sutures, getting close to the table, this time she could see the defined body of her "hero", the chest was full of scars and cuts, some seemed to be burns and even marks of shots.

"Hold his arms as tight as I can, I'll remove the knife ..." She was not yet used to being ordered by someone so inferior but felt obliged to help at that moment, after all if she had intervened he would not be in that situation.

Aika withdrew the knife at once, the boy bit his teeth so hard that not even the cloth prevented him from lightly cutting his lips again, the extreme pain finally knocked him out and Aika began to treat him.

Using high-alcohol drinks, she sterilized her hands and her friend's injuries, she seemed well-versed in that kind of situation, not letting the blood and the deep wounds take control of herself.

Even for Vali it was hard to look at those open wounds, but Aika patched the stitches so patiently as if she had mended one of her shirts, it only took a few hours and it was all over.

The girl approached the gray with a bottle of Bourbon and two glasses.

"Bourbon?" She made two drinks and served at the bar, the place was empty, it was late, past four in the morning, just a few hours to daylight.

"Thanks, thank you." Vali was not very alcoholic, but she felt that at that moment she needed at least a little to get her throat wet, it had been a busy day… She had met a couple of humans at least interesting.

"So Vali-chan! What was a girl as beautiful as you doing in such a filthy neighborhood? "After the question the girl took her drink at once and then sighed, alcohol always warm her body very well.

"I was looking for Kuoh Academy, but apparently I must be way off target, I've always been lousy with directions ..." She, unlike Aika, appreciated alcohol, instead of just drinking it all at once, she sips and tried to enjoy the drink as much as possible.

"Lucky you… I think the world prioritizes girls with your beauty… it turns out that Issei and I are students there… we can take you in a few hours… But for now, let's drink after all it's that idiot who will pay!" She said pouring another shot.

**Endnotes**

Ok ... this is one of those ideas that had never crossed my mind, it was a request from a guy here at Fanfiction and I thought and thought ... I came to the conclusion that if I had to make a story between an Issei OOC and a Fem Vali, needed to be quite different from what I had already read, needed an identity.

And it was more or less in this footprint that I decided to follow, to bring a slightly darker Issei with a more outlawed background and a universe with new surprises and questions to answer.

Of course the supernatural is still going to be an important part of the story and should follow Canon as well as possible, but this new Issei has the potential to be much stronger than the Canon.

At first the request had to do with an Issei OP, but I honestly don't see much fun in stories where the protagonist is extremely strong ...

There is no drama and conflict in stories like this, however that does not mean that the character can become quite strong in the future and with the development of Fiction ... Well say what you think of this new proposal I am open to all kinds of criticism!


End file.
